Mughals Gardens in Delhi

The Mughal gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi were mainly designed by W.R. Mustoe (of the Horticulture Department), the coadjutor of Sir Edwin Lutyens. The gardens are a pleasant blend of different styles. The inspiration is mainly derived from the Mughal gardens but Lutyens combined that with a softening of English borders, small flower-end beds and mown lawns to provide a paradise.

The lush green turf, lovely flower-beds made in intricate geometrical pattern, the climbing vines over bowers, and spouting fountains invest these gardens with an aura of glory. Red stone foot-paths divide the ground into squares which are a carpet of green lawns. As in the typical Mughal gardens, small flowering trees and ornamental trees emphasize the general lines of the gardens. Again, the gardens are like the typical Mughal gardens, for there is an intricate system of fountains, water-channels and ‘water-chutes’ and tanks.

A red stone pergola, covered with sweet-scented creepers, leads to the beautiful sunken circular garden at the far end; it is the crowning glory of this floral paradise. At the base of several tiers of terraced flower-beds is a circular pond, the sparkling water reflecting the riot of colors all around. The circular gardens are a mass of colour, especially in winter. The gardens have indeed become a popular winter attraction in the capital as they are thrown open to the public for about a month every spring. A news feature in the gardens is a fish pond at the northern entrance. In this circular pond, where formerly a fountain used to play, are seen over twenty varieties of exotic fresh water fish, a present from the Chinese Premier, Chou-En-Lai to Pandit Nehru. The streaks of sunlight coming through the circular opening above are reflected on the luminous bodies of the gold fish and its kid. Swaying their broad tall fins, the fishes, some of which are diaphanous, swim placidly in the pond.